Scholar and writer Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) understood the power of mythology and its workings on our psyches – even in a seemingly spiritless modern world. Now comes a Greek chorus of authors to back him up, putting their contemporary spin on such classics as Odysseus’ perilous journey and Theseus’ battle with the Minotaur, in a series of small books being published by Canongate ($18-$18.95).

Canadian author Margaret Atwood, for example, writes her tale from the (decidedly feminist) point of view of Penelope – long-suffering, long-attending wife of Odysseus – to ask: What was she up to all those years in her husband’s absence? And why were 12 of her maids killed upon his return?

Israeli writer David Grossman offers a provocative exegesis on the tale of Samson and Delilah, “rewinding the tape” again and again on the most thrilling moments of this biblical tale: the slaying of the lion, the tasting of the honey, the razor at Samson’s scalp. Along the way, he cleverly engages readers in modern problems of military might and psychological malaise.

Russian writer Victor Pelevin inventively plays out Theseus’ foray into the labyrinth by way of an Internet e-mail exchange.

Some purists might object. Let them, says Alexander McCall Smith in his introduction to a series of haunting spinoffs from Angus, the Celtic giver of dreams. “Myths live, and are there to be played with,” he says.

Titles in the series so far include: “A Short History of Myth,” by Karen Armstrong; “Weight: The Myth of Atlas and Heracles,” by Jeanette Winterson; “The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus,” by Margaret Atwood; “The Helmet of Horror: The Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur,” by Victor Pelevin; “Lion’s Honey: The Myth of Samson,” by David Grossman, and “Dream Angus: The Celtic God of Dreams,” by Alexander McCall Smith.

Put these bite-size but meaty musings on the shelf next to your Campbell, your Robert Fagles’ translations of Homer and your yellowed copy of Edith Hamilton’s “Mythology.” And consult one the next time you undertake a journey, are handed over for betrayal, experience the loss of your powers or find yourself in the therapist’s office once again addressing the question of why you persist in that self-destructive behavior. A little insight goes a long way, as Samson can tell you.